Open Mike Eagle on “Neighborhood Gods Limitless”
Reassembling Shattered Creativity
Aug 01, 2025
Internet Unique
Pictures by Robert Adam Mayer
What would possibly you do in case your telephone acquired destroyed? Debilitating as that sounds for any of us, Open Mike Eagle discovered it all of the extra soul crushing. That’s as a result of his gadget was filled with notes and audio clips that he deliberate to construct into songs for his subsequent album, Neighborhood Gods Limitless (which he launched independently final month on his personal Auto Reverse Information).
The Chicago-born, L.A.-based MC is an underground rap legend—not solely because of his mixture of hummable hooks that lure you into his advanced, left discipline lyrics, but in addition due to his deep dive podcasts with hip-hop forebearers like ?uestlove, Prince Paul, El-P, Rhymefest, and extra. And but, his confidence as a veteran MC who has garnered a lot acclaim was dented to an extent after he was strolling down the road in the future, seen his earbuds stopped working, and realized his telephone—containing so a lot of his new track concepts—was now not in his pocket. A minimum of he captured these particulars vividly on Neighborhood Gods Limitless key observe “okay however im the telephone display screen.”
“It type of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that track. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that track,” Eagle tells Below the Radar throughout a current Zoom name forward of the album’s launch.
Under, he tells us extra about contending with emotional points by way of songwriting and rapping, how he balances dense rapping with catchy choruses, why he needed to put in writing a extra formidable narrative for this album, and extra.
Kyle Mullin (Below the Radar): “Okay however im the telephone display screen” rapidly escalates and has fairly a vivid narrative. Might you inform me in regards to the inspiration behind it? Additionally, do you’re feeling such as you’re becoming a member of the pantheon of nice, Slick Rick type story rap songs with it?
Open Mike Eagle: So the inspiration for that track is that basically occurred to me. I used to be engaged on the album then, and after it occurred, it knocked me off of my inventive momentum for like a month. And I used to be making an attempt to determine why. I believed, “Oh effectively, it’s simply because I’m a bit disoriented by not having my traditional methods to attach with info on this planet.” However even after I acquired my telephone changed, I nonetheless couldn’t work on music, and I couldn’t work out what was the issue.
Then I spotted it was due to the entire track notes I had on there. A full spectrum of concepts, from track traces to songs I’d began as voice notes. It type of injured my creativity and I couldn’t get previous it until I made that track. Like, I couldn’t course of the lack of these concepts till I made that track.
It’s like after I made [the critically acclaimed 2020 album] Anime, Trauma and Divorce. I can not course of some issues till I sit and write about them. And I didn’t notice till a short while after that occurred that that was a kind of issues.
There’s additionally a meta narrative by way of the album about individuals being damaged. So this track slotted proper into that theme as effectively.
Earlier than your telephone, did you will have a pocket book, a “guide of rhymes” like Nas used to rap about?
Oh yeah. By your complete first half of my profession I had all these spiral notebooks. Pocket book after pocket book after pocket book. And I might simply fully undergo them initially of a venture. I acquired a giant workplace field filled with them someplace. And it goes all the best way again to my early group days with [cult L.A. hip-hop trio] Thirsty Fish, to my first few albums and EPs, to perhaps even early Hellfyre Membership stuff [an underground label that released many of Eagle’s early projects].
Did switching from notebooks to your telephone change your songwriting?
I can’t say for certain, as a result of my rap type has modified anyway since that [notebook] period of my profession.
How has it modified?
Beforehand in my profession, particularly in the event you take a look at my first two or three albums, I used to be primarily specializing in rhyming. The novelty of the rhyme, what number of syllables it was, and the way I might make all of it make sense logically, whereas nonetheless pushing patterns and rhyme schemes ahead. That was the game that I used to be concerned about excelling in again then.
Through the years I’ve gotten much less involved with that a part of it, and extra targeted on visualizations, different types of timings, and rhythms.
And paradoxically, on Neighborhood Gods Limitless again half observe “Rejoinder” you will have a line about writing the whole lot you’re saying within the track in pencil.
True, however that wasn’t literal. The track is about making an attempt to welcome again an individual who’s been outcast, or welcome again a component of myself that has been exiled. And that half about writing in pencil is about being conscious that simply an invite again into the circle will not be sufficient. As in: it’s not sufficient simply to say “I’m sorry that I left you.” So writing all of it in pencil means being open to listening to different components of this dialog.
And perhaps erasing and changing one thing?
Precisely.
Talking of how your songwriting course of modified over time: it looks like you’re singing and being extra melodic on this album. Like on “Rejoinder,” you’re virtually crooning a bit bit. And lead single “contraband (the plug has baggage of me)” sounds borderline bluesy. Some MCs I interview say it may be intimidating to sing, like going out of your consolation zone. What has that been like?
So when my profession began, particularly in the event you take a look at my first EP, I used to sing loads. And once you get to Darkish Comedy, which I believe is my fourth album, there’s a track on there with, like, no rapping on it in any respect. “Deathmate Black” is sung virtually right through.
That was a ability or a craft that I’ve been concerned about. I’ve at all times listened to an entire lot of varieties of music— in all probability as a lot different rock and pop as rap music. So I’ve at all times needed to have the ability to categorical in that medium as effectively.
The factor is, early on, I might do it though I didn’t know the way to do it in any respect. So that may produce various outcomes. Generally it got here collectively nice. Generally it was me in all probability reaching approach past what my physique was skilled to do at that time.
Performing dwell by way of the years has improved my singing means. To remain on pitch. To even perceive the weather of singing, and harmonies and octaves. And my pure singing vary, which is one thing I fully ignored throughout the early a part of my profession.
And I believe there are a few hooks on Anime, Trauma and Divorce, however on my newer albums I type of moved away from singing. As a result of I needed to reveal my rap abilities. I felt the tradition at giant shifting in that route. As a result of I come from avenue nook rapping. You already know, like, “rapping ass rapping.” So I needed to play that recreation too.
Then, on this new album, I needed to have my hooks once more. It’s really one of many issues that units me aside—that I can write a hook, that I can write a track. So it doesn’t essentially make sense for me to be rapping 48 bars, with no hook. And the beats I like have a tendency to essentially assist hooks too, as a result of they’re very musical. So there’s definitely way more singing on this venture, however that’s a route I really feel like I used to be shifting again in the direction of deliberately.
Is there one thing in regards to the lyrics or themes on this venture that helped you attain that call?
I believe that’s true. There’s numerous dream logic occurring right here. A number of otherworldly storytelling. So on this album, I used to be way more snug breaking the shape, as a result of I would like this venture to really feel like the types of films I like, and the types of different media I like. The place you don’t know what’s actual and what’s not. And that did appear to open the door for me to go tougher on the hooks.
It definitely sounds surreal at occasions. Like on “contraband,” once you rap: “I do know God, that’s homegirl down the road.”
Sure, it’s evocative imagery. And it does have a literal grounding component to it. However I’m not involved with presenting that a part of it as a lot as I wish to current the imagery, and have or not it’s open to interpretation.
The tone of “contraband” is basically fascinating too. Since you’re not fairly whispering it, however it’s very downcast. Inform me extra about what you needed to do with that track sonically.
That’s simply what the beat felt prefer it was asking for. As if I’m asking the listener to observe me on a darkly whimsical journey on that track. And it’s very introspective and heavy, however then there’s a melody pulling the entire thing alongside too. And it’s the type of music that I didn’t wish to attempt to dominate with rap, or attempt to compete with. I needed to mix into it. And once more, simply vocal vary smart, now that I’ve a greater understanding of my singing, it saved me in that decrease register all through the entire thing.
Kenny Segal produced that track, proper? What’s your dynamic with him like? He’s, in spite of everything, one of the crucial well-regarded producers in underground hip-hop.
Yeah he produced that and the nearer, “limitless cranium voices.” I’ve been working with him since, gosh… [pauses and thinks], he and I made our first track, was that in 2012? I’ve identified him a very long time.
Like, once you put out Darkish Comedy?
A bit earlier. However he positively has a beat on Darkish Comedy. I used to be making an attempt to assume if we had one thing earlier than that. However I’ve identified him even earlier than then.
He’s acquired numerous musical ability along with being an amazing producer. He tends to have beats which can be very easy to assemble a track over, as a result of they’ve such highly effective musical components to them. They often construct up. And so they have completely different sections or segments that enable me to go completely different locations as a songwriter. So at any time when I make a track with him, it’s at all times unconventional in one of the simplest ways.
What about a number of the different manufacturing on the album?
By way of any individual who I hadn’t labored with earlier than, I’m actually excited in regards to the outcomes I made with Ok-Nite on “my co-worker clark kent’s secret black field” and the opener “awakened figuring out the whole lot.” I simply actually preferred the musicality but arduous hitting-ness of his beats, the place they really feel very trendy, but very throwback.
There’s additionally numerous Baby Actor beats on there. That’s any individual I’ve been working with actually intently over the previous 4 years, between my solo stuff and my group Earlier Industries. I actually, actually love his sound. And Playa Haze and August Fanon, each of whom I’ve been desirous to work with for years, and who I lastly was capable of make one thing occur with for this album.
Talking of Earlier Industries: your group mate from that, Video Dave, can be on right here. What did Earlier Industries do for you as an MC? And the way does that carry over to this venture?
I used to be speaking earlier about wanting to essentially rap on my previous few tasks. Earlier Industries grew to become the last word outlet for that, as a result of it’s simply the three of us bunkering down and MC’ing. That freed me up creatively to have the ability to return into several types of songwriting approaches on my solo stuff.
So is “me and aquil stealing stuff from work” on this new LP an instance of you actually “rap-y rapping?” As a result of it has such a cool idea about you stealing sneakers from the shoe retailer you’re employed at.
Sure, however that’s additionally a real story. It includes a rapper identify Mr. Aquil. We went to highschool collectively, and had our first job collectively, the place we used to steal stuff. And once more, it was simply actually enjoyable and actually cathartic to inform that story over a beat like that. Like, I used to be actually feeling pissed off with life at the moment, and I used to be again in that mindset making that track. So I simply needed to color that image for individuals.
So there’s you stealing from work. You breaking your telephone. How a lot of this album is autobiographical?
It’s all considerably autobiographical. However not all direct expertise. There’s a track on there referred to as “a dream of the midnight child.” I really had a dream a couple of child. And it match into the album’s total story.
Inform me extra about that total story, and any broader themes or statements you’re making an attempt to make with this new album.
That is the primary album that I’ve performed with a story in a few years. I needed it to really feel like the flicks and tv reveals that I really like, the place you possibly can really feel emotions and observe together with a personality. However I like artsy motion pictures— so the whole lot isn’t essentially defined to you. Folks don’t at all times come to a rap album anticipating it to be like that. It’s a surreal story, and it’s a trauma story, and it’s acquired comedic components and tragic components.
I haven’t performed that in a few years. The final album that I made that had a story was 4nml Hsptl [in 2012]. And I at all times checked out that album as if I failed the thought behind it, as a result of I didn’t inform anyone that there was a story on that album. I didn’t set the desk nice for individuals to have the ability to method that venture in the best way I needed them to. Now I really feel extra able to doing one thing like that. And I’m extra conscious that I would like to come back proper out and say it, even when I’m not saying precisely what the narrative is, I perceive the necessity to say that there’s a story there.
Possibly that can turn out to be extra obvious to listeners like me upon repeated listens. How did it really feel to make a story once more? And what made you notice you needed to do this once more?
The unique concept for this got here from a tv venture about trauma that I used to be creating. The concept caught with me a lot that I simply began writing songs about it, and determined it will be my subsequent venture. It’s me musically telling the story that I nonetheless might inform different methods.
And the way did that push you in new instructions as an artist?
I really feel proud for the try at the subject material, and the temper and vibe and expertise that I wish to create with it. And in addition simply by way of the craft of being a recording artist, there’s some issues that I’ve been desirous to do right here by way of vocal supply, dynamics and, songwriting that I really feel I actually was capable of pull off, that I’ll not have been capable of pull off earlier than.
What are some examples of that?
Just like the track “sorry I acquired big (additionally not a euphemism).” That’s one of many earliest songs that I wrote for this venture. And after I first began making music, I usually used a low vocal tone and supply. But it surely was largely as a result of I didn’t know what I used to be doing, and I didn’t know the way to have a rap voice that minimize by way of the music, and was projected however nonetheless managed sufficient for the studio. It took me some time to get there. And as soon as I acquired there, I used to be like “Oh, I ought to do that on a regular basis.”
Now, doing it on a track like this, I used to be like “The rationale for rapping in such a low voice right here is as a result of it’s a delicate dialog.” I needed to make it very conversational. And make a listener lean in, and attempt to perceive what I’m making an attempt to say. And I really feel like I did that.
